Where Is Metropolis, Really? DC’s Eternal Geography Problem
You’ve been lied to about Metropolis. For almost 90 years, DC has shuffled Superman’s city around like a deck of cards sometimes it’s New York, sometimes Delaware, sometimes even Kansas. So where the hell is Metropolis supposed to be? Let’s break it down.
The Early Years: Straight Up New York
Back in the 1930s, DC wasn’t subtle. Early comics literally labeled it Metropolis, New York. The 1940s kept that vibe going, with Superman living in New York but still calling Metropolis his home turf. The iconic Fleischer cartoons? Pure art deco New York skyline.
Mapping the DC Universe
By the 1970s, DC even gave fans a semi official map through “Ask the Answer Man.” The verdict: Gotham, New York, and Metropolis are neighbors. Gotham was planted on the Jersey side of the Hudson River, while other hero cities got placements too Star City in Connecticut, Central City in Michigan.
The Delaware Detour
Then came 1978. A fanzine called The Amazing World of DC Comics suggested Metropolis actually belonged in Delaware. Writers loved it, and suddenly Metropolis and Gotham were facing each other across the Delaware Bay. This theory stuck around for decades, resurfacing in the ’80s and ’90s through various comics and DC atlases.
Geography Gets Messy
Of course, DC being DC, things got weird. Some stories had Metropolis within driving distance of Smallville, Kansas. Others dropped the Statue of Liberty right in Metropolis Harbor—snapping it back to New York. The Metro-Narrows Bridge connecting Gotham and Metropolis? Modeled directly on New York’s Verrazzano Narrows Bridge.
Modern Consensus
Recent comics, and even Zack Snyder’s films, lean back toward Metropolis being New York with Gotham across the river in Jersey City. A wild 1985 comic even suggested Metropolis is man-made—an artificial island east of NYC with its own harbor and waterfall.
After decades of back-and-forth, the clearest answer is this Metropolis is New York, Gotham is Jersey, and they’re connected like two cranky neighbors who can’t escape each other.
